No Rest for the Wicked
by That Girl55
Summary: He couldn't die, not for real anyways. But, metaphorically speaking, he'd die for her in a heartbeat. -Michael has a sister, who's finally coming to stay with Lucy and Max and their vampire family. And then she meets David...is it possible to fall in love with someone, something, you'd never allow yourself to become?- Title credit goes to Cage the elephant.
1. Chapter 1

**This takes place in 2013, by the way, and goes as if Lucy had said yes to Max's plans, and they are currently married. Michael is now a full vampire, as is Lucy, but Sam remains human.**

* * *

*Taylor POV*

It was July and a horrible month for hitchhiking.

I sighed, sitting down beside the road in the desert somewhere between my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona and Santa Carla, California. None of this would have happened if it hadn't been for that stupid party, where my idiot self got drunk enough to oversleep.

The rest of my family had taken off for Grandpa's house about two months ago, and I stayed behind to finish up cosmetology school. At first it was fine, I was eighteen years old and getting my first taste of freedom, for pete's sake, while still living on my mother's money. I sighed, pulling out the last letter Sam had sent me, the one containing their new address.

That's right, in the two months I had been gone my favorite big brother Michael, who at first wrote nonstop, seemed to forget about me and my mother, who was distraught over dad and her's divorce just days up until their departure, had found a new husband.

I sat there in silence, looking over the address and trying to imagine the life I was about to walk into, when my phone rang.

"Hello?" I said, fairly surprised there was cell reception out here.

"Taylor, it's Michael. Where the hell are you?"

"Oh now you want to know where I am," I said, and with a sudden burst of energy I stood up, grabbing my backpack as I continued down the empty road. "You didn't give two fucks where I was back in Phoenix, apparently."

"Taylor, look, I-"

"Taylor Emerson, this is your mother. Why weren't you on the plane? Where are you!"

"Funny story, mom...I missed the plane."

"What do you mean you missed the plane! Where-"

"I'm halfway to Santa Carla, don't worry."

"You don't have a car." I heard Sam say in the background.

"Am I on speaker phone?" i said, feigning shock. How like my family to do this!

"TAYLOR ANNMARIE EMERSON DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME YOU'RE HITCHHIKING TO SANTA CARLA."

"No mom, I'm walking." I said simply, sticking my thumb out in the road as the first car i had seen for miles passed me. Abruptly, he stopped. "Got to go, mom, I've got a ride."


	2. Chapter 2

*David POV*

"What is all the yelling about in here?" I asked, popping into the kitchen as if this was my own house. Well, considering Max was my maker it might as well have been.

Michael was gripping onto the counter like he was about to smash it in two, while Lucy, a full-fledged vampire may I add, had dropped to her knees praying. Max and Sam were around her, trying to calm her out of her hysterics.

"Mom," Michael said. "I'm going to go find her."

I stopped him as he walked towards the door. "Find who?" I added, a mysterious glint in my eye while love for someone flashed across his pupils.

Oh dear god, not this Star business again. She left ages ago, after she found out we had all excepted the lifestyle, even Laddie, and she was alone.

Michael didn't reply, only pushed past me and ran outside, taking off on his bike.

"It's my sister," Sam said. Oh, he was talking to me now? That's an improvement. "She was supposed to fly out to live with us today, but instead she missed her plane and she's, uh, hitchhiking her way here."

I burst out laughing, Max and Sam giving me dirty looks. Hitchhiking, that was it? I thought someone had died.

"What's hitchhiking?" Laddie said, running into the room and taking the moment of madness to steal a cookie from a jar on the counter.

I grunted, blatantly ignoring him. I'd made a habit of that lately, even when he had worn down all the boys but me-no kid was going to make me soft, no girl either, as Star had proved.


	3. Chapter 3

*Taylor POV*

"Hurry up, Taylor, we've got to get inside before the sun rises." Michael said.

He found me hitching rides by a truck stop just outside of the city, as it seemed, and his bike had taken us all the way to the end of the very long, very steep driveway that apparently marked our new home.

"Just go by yourself, Michael. I'll catch up." I said, practically crawling up the driveway army-style. To put it blankly, I really hated walking. Michael had spoiled me with that long motorcycle ride, and after doing nothing but walk and sit for twenty-four hours all I wanted to do was sleep.

He took one look at the sunset and ran off at record pace, a speed not even I knew my brother could do.

I followed up quickly after, finding the house easily. It was the only one on this road, and god was it big.

Wasn't quite my kind of beautiful, as it seemed, because the whole thing was just too modern for me, but either way I would enjoy living here-until I saved up enough for a place of my own, that is.

I got inside the house easily, expecting a huge welcome party-but apparently, everyone was asleep.

I sighed, setting my bag down on the floor beside me, and curling up on the couch, preparing to sleep until at least noon.

* * *

At noon I got up, and got dressed. I threw on a teal crop top and white shorts-realizing this house had a pool, and decided to lay out in the sun. I dug a book out of my bag, Great Expectations, and went outside.

There was a pool, sure, but surprisingly there were no lounge chairs. I thought about going inside and asking Michael or sam about it, but I kind of remembered that I didn't know my way around the house, and it was big enough to get lost in for sure.

With a sigh, I laid down on the ground and pulled off my crop top, mainly because I had forgotten a bikini and hey, this was my house anyways, and prepared to stay there until the sun went down-or, at least, until someone woke up.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'd like to thank bleedingscars for being the first reviewer, and also for gibing me some great ideas for the story that I'm definitely going to include somehow! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy it! xx.**

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*Taylor POV*

Around six o'clock I had finished my book, and with a sigh I put my shirt back on and walked towards the house.

"Hello?" I called, but got no answer.

I sighed, walking up the first flight of stairs I could find and wandering the halls. I couldn't believe everyone was sleeping at six o'clock in the evening? What kind of man had my mom married, anyways?

"You know," i said, filling the silence with my own voice. "I was expecting some kind of welcome party, one that I wasn't exactly excited for anyways because Mom _knows _I hate dinner parties and that, but not even a hello? Hell, I can't find a living soul in this house."

"You have no idea how correct you are." An ominous yet familiar voice rang out from the shadows-Sammy!

"Sam!" I said, running over to hug him. "I was beginning to think Mike had taken me to the wrong house. Why does everyone sleep during the day anyways?"

"I don't know," Sam said, and it was obvious he was hiding something. Sam was never good with secrets.

"Sammy..."

"They'll be waking up soon, anyways." He shrugged. "Wanna go get something to eat, I know we always have Chinese in the house, it's Michael's favorite."

Now that was weird. Michael hated Chinese back in Phoenix, just like i did. Every time Mom brought it home we'd sneak out on his bike and get pizza.

Still, I shrugged it off. A lot of weird things had been going on lately, maybe my family had just changed a lot. Or maybe, maybe I've changed a lot. Either way, it would take a lot of getting used to, living here.

"That's okay, Sam, I'm not really hungry." I lied. Had my own brother forgotten that I don't eat Chinese-or meat, for that matter? "I think I'm gonna go out."

He nodded, grabbing my arm. Gosh, Sam had gotten big. I'd only been gone two months, but in those two months he'd changed quite a bit. It was like puberty hit the fifteen-now-sixteen year old, deepening his voice and making him almost Michael's height.

"Look, Taylor, I know there's a lot of weird stuff going on here-at least it seems weird right now. But trust me, it gets easier, okay?"

i nodded, smiling at him and giving him a peck on the cheek. I had to get out of this house, had to clear my head.

"There's a boardwalk maybe a mile away from here if you want to go there. The rest of the family won't be up until eight at least, so hurry up. I'm going back to bed."

I laughed at him, knowing that meant he was going to lay around with another one of his comics until Mom or Mike made him get out of bed. I watched him walk back upstairs and then tried to find my way to the front door.


	5. Chapter 5

*David POV*

I walked into the house like I always did, the rest of the boys trailing behind me, Laddie clinging onto Dwayne (who seemed to become his new favorite after Star left) and once again, there was more yelling.

"I brought her here this morning, mom, I swear!" We heard Michael say.

"Yeah, she was here!" Sam defended Michael. "You all were sleeping through. She woke me up when she was looking for her room-"

"What did you tell her, Sam." Michael said, grabbing his brother's arm firmly.

"Boys!" Max said, ripping the two apart. "David's here, Michael, and you need to go feed-you haven't in a while. Lucy and I will hang back and talk to Sam."

I nodded at Max, grabbing Michael's arm and leading him to the bikes.

"No, Mrs. Lucy, I want to go with Dwayne!" We heard Laddie yell, running outside after us. There was a collective sigh as we allowed him to climb onto the back of Dwayne's bike, and headed away from the house, Lucy giving us a disapproving look.

In her eyes, Laddie was just a little boy-but if that was the way things really were, he'd be a little boy forever.

Everyone knew Star was going to leave, except for Michael, anyways, so we taught Laddie how to feed around that time, so she wouldn't take him with her. Dwayne had taken a liking to the kid, but me, I just did it to spite Star. The ungrateful brat, she couldn't accept who she is, what she is-and she'd die because of it; thanks to me, she'd now die alone as well.

We headed off to the beach, searching for an unsuspecting group of teenagers, the only sound was the hum of our bikes and little humming noises from either Laddie or Marko, you never could quite tell which, until we came to a light, the familiar sounds of a radio in the distance.


	6. Chapter 6

*Taylor's POV*

"What's a pretty girl like you doing all alone?" A guy said creepily, coming over to stand beside me. He was slightly scary looking, with a full on Mohawk and large nose ring.

"Stop it, Adam." His much hotter, much nicer friend said, lightly pushing the guy away from me. "Sorry about him, he's had a little too much to drink. My name's John, are you new around here?"

"Yeah, I'm Taylor. I just moved in about a mile away."

"Cool, cool. Well listen, me and him and a couple of other more _sober _friends are about to hit up the beach and start a bonfire, do you want to come join us?"

I bit my lip, checking my phone. No new messages-I must not have been missed much.

"I'd love to," I said, allowing him to drag me along with his probably drunk friend and a couple other girls who seemed no more sober than Mohawk over there.

Still, it was a chance to make new friends, even if they wouldn't be friends with me for long.

"So," i said, talking to John as we lit the bonfire. "Do you guys come down here often?"

"Nah, not really. I don't live up here, you see, but I'm spending the summer with him," he gestured towards Mohawk, "In a beach house. We've seen a bunch of kids do this before, though, and it seemed like a lot of fun."

He shrugged, and I was slightly disappointed that I hadn't made a more permanent friend. I mean, school was where I met most of my friends back in Phoenix anyways, but now I was eighteen and looking for a job-how would I make friends now except hooking up with random guys on the beach?

Well, I honestly didn't know.

So I let him lead me back behind a dune and undress me; I took all that pent up anger I had at my now-strange family and took it out on him, and he let me.

And we stupidly mistook the screams of his friends for laughter, that is, until we walked back into a crime scene.


	7. Chapter 7

*Taylor POV*

Adjusting my clothing, I laughed, pulling myself out from behind the dunes.

The fire was still going, but the whole beach seemed to be stained red with blood, the blood of people I should have been able to call my friends.

I heart a quiet. "Shit, almost forgot one." From behind me, and spun around to see John's skin practically being tugged off of him by a boy with curly blonde hair, a boy who was shorter than John, but seemed to be hovering above him.

I thought I was going to faint, and it took me a moment, but eventually I let out a quiet moan and then bolted towards the boardwalk.

I didn't get very far until I found myself in the familiar arms of Michael.

He gripped me firmly by the biceps as I watched his face go back to that of the brother I knew, the brother from Phoenix. Well, that brother but with a lot more of a five o'clock shadow and in need of a haircut.

"Sam was right," I mumbled, thinking of his last letter once more. "You are into some weird shit."

I was stuttering on the last word, hoping to find some humor in this frightening moment, but Michael didn't even crack a smile. I swallowed, avoiding his eyes until he had apparently calmed down enough to talk to me.

"Taylor, what are you doing?"

"Makin' friends." I mumbled.

"By sleeping with drunk men and running off with people you don't know?" Another voice said, this time from behind me.

"...Is that really the topic at hand here?" I whined, turning to give the boy a glare.

"what else did you see, Taylor?" Michael asked, and this time not anger but worry flashed through his eyes.

I bit my lip, remembering the blood, remembering the missing pieces of skin and the paleness of the bloodless bodies.

I looked towards the loud, unwavering ocean.

"Okay, I am going to wake up without a shirt on, laying beside the pool and baking in the sun." I said, closing my eyes forcefully.

"Why wouldn't you have a shirt on?" Another boy asked, but I kept silent, willing the voices and the boys to go away.

"Michael, I don't think she's okay."

"David, what's wrong with the pretty lady?" a little boy's voice asked. And then, and then i was quite done, and my world went black.

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**Okay, so I'm going to try and do as many chapters as I can for as long as I can, but driving school starts Monday for me, and the following week school starts, so it's gonna get harder to find time to update and stuff. However, I do have a lot of ideas for this story and where it's going and that, it's just a matter of finding the time to write them and put them up here. If you have a suggestion though, I'd love to hear it! I used some of bleedingscars' ideas for this chapter, and I'd love to hear some more, whether I use them or not. Thanks for reading! xx. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Trigger warning for this chapter! it talks about how her dad sexually abused Taylor and beat Lucy and the boys. Please don't read if it's going to upset you. xx. **

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*Taylor POV*

I kept my eyes closed, listening intently to the conversation that was happening around me.

"What do you think, Max, should we go ahead and tell her?" That was my mom's voice, and Max, that had to be her new husband.

"Let's just wait and see what she remembers, shall we?" A voice said, one I'd never heard before.

"I don't know, Max, she saw quite a bit." Michael said.

I didn't want to hear anymore, and instead let out a quiet groan.

"Taylor, thank god you're okay! We were so worried." Mom said, hugging me. Quickly, i gently pushed her away.

Michael was one of them, that meant she was one of them too.

"So we're clear on this, I'm moving out." I said, standing up from the couch to quickly and almost falling over before Michael grabbed me and steadied me. "it's one thing to keep a secret, it's another thing to flat out lie."

My mom and I had never had a good relationship, she'd always claimed I was 'too much like my father,' which I wouldn't let her know hurt me more than anything in the world. Dad abused us, all of us. He'd slap mom and the boys around, and he'd molest me at night sometimes. Of course, no one knows about that bit, not even Mom. She always thought I had it easy, because he didn't hit me like he did them, but really I had it much, much worse. Michael started to figure it out towards the end there, but I never confirmed nor denied anything, and before he acted on anything Mom and Dad had divorced, he was headed up to New York with his new girlfriend, mom and the boys were en route to Santa Carla, and I was acing my last month of beauty school.

So, in this difficult moment, Mom turned to Michael, who would only stare at me, not knowing what to say.

"I've got a lot to tell you, Taylor, so at least hear me out before you leave."

"Fine," I shrugged, sitting down on the couch once more. "I'm all ears."

He gave Mom and Max a look, and they exited the room. I checked my watch, it was four-thirty in the morning.

"You have until sunrise, then I'm out of here." I told him.


	9. Chapter 9

*Taylor POV*

"We're vampires, all of us. Well, except for Sam, he doesn't want to be turned until he's older. But me, mom, Max, and the boys you saw earlier, we're vampires."

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, i would be calling you on this bullshit." I sighed, lighting a cigarette. "So that's why you stopped writing?"

"Yes, and no. I stopped writing because if I kept talking to you, I'd tell you everything, and Max said that was more dangerous for you than keeping you in the dark. And will you get that out of your mouth, Taylor, it'll kill you, you know." Michael reached for my cigarette, and I pulled away from him quickly.

"Yeah, well you could kill me too, Michael." I shrugged, and he became quiet.

"When'd you start smoking?"

"The same time I started drinking and having sex with strangers," I laughed. "Approximately four hours ago-I took them off that guy the short blonde ate."

"That was Marko, he's says he's sorry he scared you. He's a sweetheart, really, if you'd get to know him."

"yeah, that was my next question. How'd you all come to be 'vampires?'"

"Well, when we first moved here, I met a girl, Star-"

"How ironic, a peace-loving next-generation hippie started this all."

"She's not a hippie, Taylor." He gave me a defensive look.

"All right, all right, continue your story."

**(He basically tells her the movie, up until the part where he kidnaps Star and Laddie from the cave. Marko, obviously, did not get staked by the Frog Brothers.)**

"Mom came home early that day, claiming the sunlight was killing her eyes. She was one of them, Taylor."

"A full vampire, or a half? I'm very confused about this whole full vampire verses half vampire conflict."

"She was a half vampire, she hadn't made her first kill yet. Neither had Star and I, or Laddie. But when she came home complaining about that, Sam and I were at a loss of what to do. we decided to stick with the plan, but that night...Mom never was a strong person, taylor, you know that. She killed Nanook."

"Damn," i said. "Sam loved that dog. Did it count? Make her a full vampire?"

"We didn't think it would, but I guess...I guess it did. If we killed the head vampire, Mom would die too, so we just couldn't anymore. After that Max came into the picture, and his whole plan kind of fell into place. He told Mom what she was, and she accepted it-better than I had, at least. And then she married him and I went with David and the rest of the boys, and fed for the first time. We taught Laddie, the little boy, to feed too, but Star wouldn't do it. She just up and left one day; God, laddie cried for weeks before Dwayne could even get him out of bed."

I flopped backwards, slouching low on the couch.

"Wow, all that in just two months? I had to admit, at first I was a little upset I wasn't invited to the wedding, but now I get it. I mean, who wants red velvet cake made with real blood, you know?"

"Actually, that sounds really appetizing." Michael teased. "But please, Taylor, you have to understand. Mom still loves you-"

"Mom never loved me." I said coldly.

"Alright, well Mom still cares for you, okay? I love you, though, and Sam loves you too. We've both missed you like crazy, sis, so please don't leave us now."

"Is Sam going to be a vampire too, then?"

"When he gets older, probably."

I bit my lip-does this mean I would be asked to turn as well?

"I don't know, Michael. i just...I have to get some normal back in my life, you know? look, when shops start opening I'll go look for a job. Maybe that'll help me out, okay?"

Michael nodded.

"They want you to turn too, Taylor, just so you know."

"I won't do it. God, Mikey, I don't even eat meat, you know? Why would I pick a lifestyle where all I eat are things I kill?"

"I told them that, Tay. They won't listen for long, though."

"I know," I muttered, biting my lip.


	10. Chapter 10

*David's POV*

"Shit man," Paul said as we climbed into our home before the sun came up. "i hope we didn't scare that girl too bad, she was hot."

"Shut up, Paul." Dwayne said, taking laddie's hand and leading him towards the bed where he used to sleep with Star. "Laddie, do you want to sleep in the bed or with me and the boys?"

"Dwayne," Laddie said, completely avoiding the subject at hand. "What was wrong with the pretty girl?"

"We scared her, Laddie." Dwayne said, biting his lip. The boys still did everything they could to keep the boy in the dark, to keep him from believing he had become one of the monsters under the bed, one of the things children like him feared.

"How come we scared her? couldn't we have been nice to her?"

"Don't worry about it, Laddie." I said sharply, I hated when the kid asked questions like this. Nobody would answer them, nobody could answer them, to be honest. Still, Marko shot me a dirty look and walked over to sit on the other side of Laddie on the mattress.

"It's okay, Laddie, because we might see that pretty girl again. and if we do, we're gonna be extra nice to her, okay?" Laddie grinned, nodding vigorously, and then stood up, grabbing Dwayne's hand.

"i want to sleep with you tonight, Dwayne."

Dwayne nodded. Paul had already gone back to the innermost part of our home, where we slept, and I soon followed suit. The rest of the boys trailed behind us, Laddie pulling at their hands.


	11. Chapter 11

*Taylor POV*

When I woke up again it was already dark outside.

I was about to scream, but instead I put all my anger into pulling on jeans and a loose floral tank-top, grabbing a poptart and running out of the house before everyone woke up, hoping to make it to town before the shops started closing.

"Drink this, he said, it'll help you sleep, he said. I wanted to sleep, just not for TWELVE HOURS." I said, angry at Michael for practically forcing me to drink that sleeping medicine and making me miss my opportunity to go job hunting.

"Taylor," I heard Sam's voice from behind me, just as I was about to touch the doorknob. So close. "Mom wants to you dress up nice for dinner, okay."

"Ugh!" I screamed, kicking my flipflop-covered foot against the door and marching upstairs to get changed, making Sam laugh at me. "I just want a little bit of normal, is that too much to ask for."

With this family, probably. I mean, I was living with a whole bunch of vampires-how did Sam even function?

"Taylor, there you are!" Max's voice rang out from the other end of the hallway. "Dinner starts in an hour, we expect you there!"

"not in the mood." I said, slamming the door quickly, and then getting dressed for dinner. They wanted me to dress up, then dress up i would.


	12. Chapter 12

**I've based Taylor's dress off one on nasty gal . com , it's called electric nights dress in neon pink if you'd like to look it up. xx. **

* * *

*Taylor POV*

I was finishing my makeup when there was a knock on my door.

"Dinner's ready," Sam said, and I let him in. "You look really, uh, nice. But you're not going to be happy."

"What, did mom butcher the milkman for dinner?" i said sarcastically, gesturing for him to enter my room.

"Not exactly," Sam laughed. "but the dining room table is full of meat-all cooked rare, may I add."

"for the love of god."

"I ordered pizza," Sam said, flashing me a wink as he left the room. i laughed, fighting the urge to hug my baby brother as the doorbell rang, and mom threw a fit upon seeing the pizza guy.

Obviously, Sam would blame it on me, but really it was more mom's fault for forgetting I was a vegetarian.

I sighed, looking at myself in the mirror. My hair was natural, a loose and messy thing that was known as 'Taylor's Beach hair' even though I had yet to have gone in the ocean, just the salt in the air changed my hair quite a bit. I was in plain nude flats, which didn't quite match my much-tanner skin color. I felt grown up, but more than that, I felt sexy for one of the first times in my life-and for once, I was doing it for myself.

"Taylor, come downstairs!" Michael called. With a sigh, I gave my hair one last scrunch and hurried down the steps into the living room.


	13. Chapter 13

*Taylor POV*

i flounced my way to the living room, clinging to the railing of the stairs for dear life, as i wasn't used to walking stairs in heels-our house back in Phoenix was one level, anyways.

To my surprise, not only Michael and Sam were in the living room, but also the boys from last night-little kid included.

"so, when we said family dinner-"

"They're your family now too, Taylor." Max said, poking his head into the room only to say the sentence before returning to the kitchen to help Mom.

I bit my lip nervously.

"I like your dress," one of them, I think Paul from Michael's description, said.

"Or lack therefore of." Michael shot me a dirty look, causing me to giggle.

"It's new," i said, twirling my way over to Michael and pulling his head up to look me in the eye. "It's a nice dress, Michael, so don't complain."

"It's not even a full dress," Said the boy with the bleach-blonde mullet-David, I think.

"Alright, are we done complaining about my choices in outfit now? Sammy, where's the pizza?"

"Oh no!" Mom called from the kitchen. "You all are _not _eating pizza."

I huffed, making my way to the kitchen, where mom had her back turned to me as she grilled the steaks. They were red and bloody on the inside, just like Sam had said, and the thought of eating them made me sick.

"I don't suppose you made any salad with dinner then, did you?" I bit my lip, just now realizing it wasn't smart to anger my now-vampire mother.

She sighed, spinning around to face me while her eyes bugged out of her head.

"Go. Change." she said.

"Mom, I"m eighteen!"

"It's still my house, Taylor."

Max entered the room, sizing me up before putting an arm around my mother, calming her down instantly.

"Now now, Lucy, just leave her be. She's a legal adult, she can wear what she wants." He said, and mom only turned back to the stove in defeat. I mouthed a silent 'thank you' to him as he left the room.

"You'll eat the steak like the rest of us, Taylor. You don't have to worry about getting sick, I've made yours and Sam's a little more well done-"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" I said, raising an eyebrow expectantly. "Your middle child has been a vegetarian since tenth grade. I don't eat meat."

"I thought we were out of that silly phase. If you want to be a part of this family, Taylor-"

"I'm so done," I mumbled quietly, running a hand through my tousled hair and walking through the living room and towards the front door. The boys watched me leave, but none moved to go get me. It was obvious they had been listening to the conversation between my mother and I.

I swung open the front door and prepared to run out into the night, when instead I was face to face with the little boy who _should _have been sitting on the couch. i guess i hadn't noticed him go outside while I was in the kitchen or something.

"Hi, I'm Laddie, what's your name?"

I sighed, losing my headstrong posture and seeming to crumple into a slouching position.

"Sorry," A voice from behind me said, and i turned to see David directly behind me. "We let him go outside while you were in the kitchen to catch fireflies. Come on, Laddie, let's-"

"it's fine. My name's Taylor, Laddie." i said, crouching down to his level. "would you like me to go catch fireflies with you?"

He nodded, beaming at me as he took my hand and led me into the night. I kicked off my heels and left them on the porch, the feeling of grass beneath my feet calming me down a little already.

I was laughing and playing with Laddie maybe half a mile away from the house, but we were still visible from the house, and I noticed that David and one of the other boys, the only brown-haired one, so it must have been Dwayne, were standing on the porch watching us.

"David," I heard Dwayne ask quietly. "Why are you smiling?"


	14. Chapter 14

*David POV*

"David," Dwayne asked me. "Why are you smiling?"

Well, Dwayne, it all started when she walked in the room in that dress that i would have appreciated much more on anyone but her. She was so beautiful and so scared of us all at the same time, but she was determined not to show it. It was obvious who she trusted in the way she stood closer to Michael and Sam while she looked us over with her big eyes-and from that point on i was a goner. My heart, which stopped beating some time ago, seemed to start up again. She only mesmerized me more when she walked into the kitchen, squaring off with her mother even though she knew what her mom could do to her, she knew what we were. I couldn't focus on her words as well as i could the sound of her voice, but i could tell she was unhappy not by what she said, but by how _I _felt. For a second or two, it was like our emotions were the same. When she was upset, I was upset.

When she stormed back in the room I was determined not to let her leave, but I was so preoccupied by looking at her that I couldn't move from my spot on the couch, that is, until Laddie came in. You could see the confusion in her face when she saw him, I mean, last night he was trying to rip her face off and now he wanted to be her friend? Immediately I moved to go yell at him-if the girl wanted to leave, he should let her leave, not pester her with introductions that had already been made and such. But I could tell Michael had told her about Star, and when she recognized the little boy compassion for him was present in her eyes. And as she led him outside to play, I couldn't help but follow. Dwayne followed too, but I think that was more him worrying about whether or not i was going to hurt Laddie for bugging the girl than interest in the girl herself.

Sure, she was beautiful, but she was mine and she didn't even know it yet, even if it was present in the air.

And believe me, it was.


	15. Chapter 15

*Sam's POV*

After David and Dwayne walked out, the room quieted down to a silence, and then suddenly...

"Oh damn it! She was hot too, I wanted her!" Paul said, and I registered the sudden change in the boys behavior.

For instance, Michael was glaring out the window at where David stood like he wanted to kill the guy who was once his best friend, and Max seemed a bit happier than usual. Even mom had a smile on her face and was humming as she brought food to the table.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"When a vampire falls in love," Max said. "the rest of his gang can literally feel it in the air."

"David just fell in love." Michael said through his teeth.

"_With my sister!" _I shrieked.

This could go very, very bad.

My compassionate, headstrong, vegetarian sister now had a very powerful vampire chasing after her-there was no way this was going to end well.


	16. Chapter 16

*Taylor's POV*

my dress was hiked up a little bit more and my hair had frizzed up from the pre-thunderstorm humidity, but I was happy. I had misjudged Laddie at first, pegging him like any girl who had seen Twilight would.

i thought he would run after me the first chance he got, kill me because he had no control, because he was full on monster but with the mindset of a child. However, Laddie seemed to balance it out better than I thought he would, acting only like a child. If it hadn't been ten o'clock at night, I would have thought of him as any other ten year old boy.

"Come on, Taylor, your mom's calling us in for dinner." he said, grabbing my hand. My eyebrows furrowed for a moment before I remembered he was a vampire, and therefore probably had better hearing than i did.

When we got to the porch Dwayne and David were still standing there, probably waiting for us.

"Come with me, Laddie, and we'll go wash up." Dwayne said, giving me a nod and picking up the boy, throwing him over his shoulder as Laddie giggled. I smiled at the two of them-for vampires, they seemed pretty normal.

Then, it was just david and I outside.

"So, you're david then right? I'm trying to sort everybody out still, it seems my brother forgot to introduce you all to me." I laughed, and he gave me a smirk.

"Yeah, I'm David." I shook his hand playfully before laughing, jumping a step ahead of him and hurrying towards the dining room, where everyone was gathered around the table already. Even Dwayne and Laddie had beaten us there.

I pulled down my dress a little bit, noticing my mom shooting me judgmental looks, and then sat down between Sam and Michael.

The table got quiet as they all cut up their meat, staring at it as if it was the most appetizing thing in the world while their white plates flooded with blood.

"Psst, Taylor." Sam said, elbowing me in the ribs as he passed me a slice of pizza from under the table, revealing he had one hidden on his lap as well. "Eat it quick and mom won't know."

I nodded, folding the pizza in half and eating it New York style. I glanced over at mom, but she was staring at her plate, too mesmerized by the puddles of blood to notice.

"Look at the ground," Sam said once more. "Makes it easier."

i avoided looking around the table, and Sam was right, it did make it easier to stomach the pizza. it was obvious how i felt about the meal, though, because once everyone was finished i was the first to walk out, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the room.


	17. Chapter 17

**Trigger warning again, mentions sexual abuse very vaguely. **

* * *

*Taylor's POV*

I went up to my room at first, but then I couldn't stand being trapped in that house anymore. i could hear them all downstairs, Sam included, joking around and playing video games and doing normal teenager stuff, but I still couldn't shake the images from dinner.

mom wasn't even eating the meat anymore, she was just drinking the blood, tilting her plate back so it all ran into her mouth. Max was polite, cutting his meat and even chewing it-putting on a show for me, probably. The other boys were like Max, all obviously trying not to scare me, but it still made me uneasy. I didn't even eat cooked meat, seeing it eaten raw scared me even more.

I laid back on my bed, thoughts buzzing around in my head. I loved my family, but I had to get out-I didn't think I could do this.

They'd want me a vampire, i think they've made that obvious enough by charming me with Laddie, making me get used to watching them feed like they did Sam-it barely even bothered him anymore to watch them scarf down blood like it was water. I buried my head in my hands, sitting down on my bed with a groan and waiting for something to come to me. Finally, I heard footsteps walking up the stairs-probably Sam's.

An idea came to me.

* * *

He was laying on his bed reading a comic when I walked in and sat down beside him, the makeup on my eyes messed up from crying and rubbing at them and my dress hitched up and wrinkled.

"Do you like it, Sam?" I asked him, not even looking at him, staring instead at the picture on his bedside table. One taken maybe a year ago, of Michael me and him. Sam was still little then, and Michael was carrying both of us on his back. We must have been heavy, but he was still smiling like he didn't have a care in the world.

"What are you talking about, Tay?" He said, putting the comic down and sitting up to look at me.

"This whole vampire thing. Are you happy here, is this what you want?"

he looked down at the bedspread.

"You can't be thinking about leaving, Taylor."

"I just...I can't do it, Sammy. And they want me to, I know they do. It's not right, what they do. They kill people-of course they need it, but it still makes them monsters, you know? I can't become a monster, Sam, not if I have a say in it."

"Taylor, I-" He stopped speaking suddenly, looking up in the doorway. i swallowed quickly, my eyes growing wide as I turned to find my brother.

"You really think we're monsters, taylor?"

"I don't know anymore." I said honestly, looking at my hands. Michael sighed, making his way to kneel in front of the bed and cupping my face with his hands.

"I'm your brother, the same way Sam is your brother and Lucy is your mother. This hasn't changed me at all, don't you understand?"

"I don't know what to think, Michael, except that the person who left Phoenix two months ago isn't the person in front of me now." He stood up, punching a wall hard enough to make a dent, and i winced.

"Don't you think, Taylor, that you're not the same person either! You smoke, you drink, you dress like that? That's not the Taylor I remember, not the Taylor who hated her body and volunteered at the animal shelter and read books in a tree in our goddamn backyard!" He was yelling now, not directly at me though.

"You kill people, Michael, it's different!"

"What's going on up here?" Mom said, running into the room, Max following behind her. the rest of the boys were likely not far behind.

"Nothing," I said, a determined look on my face. "i'm just...I'm going out."


	18. Chapter 18

*David's POV*

"David," Michael said as we watched his little sister walk down the driveway, away from us. "You love her, and you don't even know her."

I looked at the ground, he had a point. She wasn't a page like Star was, Taylor was the whole damn book. She was full of emotions and feelings and parts of her that i hadn't even seen yet, as tonight had proved.

"I just...I need you to turn her for me, David; for all of us."

"She, she doesn't want that, Michael. What if she refuses to feed, like star did?"

"I know my sister, David; once she is this way, she'll accept what she can't change. Sure, she'll be pissed for quite a while, but she'll get over it. She's...she's talking about leaving, David. Either we keep her and she's pissed for a little while, or we lose her for good." It was Michael's turn to look at the ground. "It's your choice, David. It's your blood she needs."

Michael left me alone out there in the night, questioning how to win her over to our side, when Dwayne answered the question for me in the form of Laddie.

"David, why don't you like me?" Laddie said, tugging on my pants leg. Ah, I really hated kids-but Laddie, Laddie was different. Laddie had my blood in him, he was one of us.

"I do like you, Lad, I just haven't gotten used to ya yet, that's all." I smiled at him, thinking only of how taken Taylor was with him earlier this evening.

Oh Laddie, you might come in handy after all.


	19. Chapter 19

When I get upset, I get really reckless actually. Like more reckless than I usually am, and that is how I wound up stumbling into the house at four in the morning, sun not even up yet, with a belly button piercing and a half-hangover, the other half of me was still drunk.

"Taylor? Oh god, some things never change." Sam laughed, putting an arm under my shoulders to help lead me to the bed. "Mikey, can you come help?"

"Sam! Omigosh you've gotten so big!"

"Uh, thanks." Sam said, scratching his head awkwardly as Mike came running down the stairs.

"Mikey!" I reached to hug him and he groaned.

"Really, Taylor?"

"What did you expect, squeaky clean good girl?" I said, making Michael roll his eyes. With a sigh, he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, making me scream in pain.

"Shh, Mom and Max are sleeping! God, what's wrong?"

I gave him a smile, pulling up my shirt to show him the new piercing.

"Oh my god. Mom, Taylor's put a hole in herself!" Sam screamed, but the only answer was the pitter-patter of four big feet.

"What do you mean she's put a hole in herself?" Dwayne asked.

"It's not a big hole..." I said, pulling up my shirt once more.

"Taylor, couch now." Michael said, and I sighed, flopping down stupidly and lightly banging my head on the armrest.

"Has she been drinking?" David asked.

"She's pissed about something." Sam said, sitting down on the floor beside me.

"Am not."

"She only drinks when she's pissed. Come on, Taylor, sit up, Mike's getting you some water." I sighed, sitting up so he could hand me the glass of water, letting his hand hover there for a moment to make sure I wasn't going to drop it.

"What's going on?" Mom's voice rang from the top of the stairs.

"We've got it, mom." Sam said, and with a sigh Mom returned to bed.

"Right, well I'm going to bed." Mike said, and Sam gave him a pleading look.

"Don't leave me alone with her, please!" Sam said.

"I'm drunk, not deaf. Besides, I'll sober up in a few hours anyways." i muttered, causing all the boys except my brothers to laugh.

"Just watch her, Sam, and don't let her wander-i've got to get some sleep." The rest of the boys went upstairs, David staying behind a few minutes to watch me, before he left too and Sam crawled into the chair beside me, falling asleep in minutes.

Everyone was out except for me, mainly because I couldn't sleep in this house. With a sigh, I walked out the front door, calculating how long it would take to get to grandpa's.


	20. Chapter 20

*Taylor POV*

"Get the hell out, you she-demon!" He shouted, holding his fingers to me in the form of a cross. I sighed, pushing past him and into the house.

"i'm not one of them, you don't have to worry." He nodded, leading me into the kitchen and passing me one of his root beers.

yeah, I always was his favorite.

"So they want you to be, ay?" He said, sitting down across from me at the kitchen table.

"Yeah, they do. And I don't know what to say yet. I mean, i don't want to be but I love my family, i don't want to lose them." I laid my head down on the cold table, Grandpa patted my head comfortingly.

"i don't know what to tell you, Taylor, you're in a tough spot here. Your family are monsters, and they want you to be one of them too...that's hard. The only reason I let your mother and the boys go is because they _wanted _to be let go, understand? They chose this lifestyle, and if I felt it was in any way forced upon them, I wouldn't have let them go off with Max."

"I don't feel safe sleeping there, can I stay here?"

"You're welcome anytime, Taylor. You know this place is vampire-proof now that your mom and the boys left."

"So you-"

"i knew you weren't a vampire, they couldn't be out in sunlight anyways. I was just messing with you." He smiled, then gently tossed me something as I started up the stairs. When I looked, they were car keys.

"You're giving me that car?" i said, shocked. "You love that thing!"

"I love you more, though Taylor, and that car is just as vamp-proof as this house, courtesy of the Frog Brothers. That way, you can sleep in it anytime you like." I ran down the stairs, hugging him tightly, and then hurried up to bed. Sure, it'd be hell tomorrow night when I got back to the house, but at least for tonight I could pretend everything was the way it should be.

No vampires, I came out to Santa Carla and moved in with Mom and Michael and Sam and Grandpa and got a good job. No David, no supernatural. I was safe, and Grandpa would make sure I stayed that way, even if mom wouldn't.


	21. Chapter 21

*David's POV*

"Where the hell is she!" I shouted, picking up Sam by his shirt collar and lifting him off the floor.

"huh?" He said.

"You had one job, Sam, to watch Taylor! She's gone."

The sun had just gone down, and i had been losing sleep all night over Taylor anyways, so I woke up extra early.

"I don't know, David!" Sam shouted, and I dropped him. Thankfully, he fell right on the couch. "She doesn't even know anybody here, and she's not drunk anymore-she was careful, see." He gestured towards the closed front door.

"Grandpa's," mike said, rubbing his head as he walked down the stairs. "She always goes to Grandpa when she gets scared, she must not like it here."

There was a collective sigh as I raced outside, jumping on my bike and heading to the old man's house.


	22. Chapter 22

*Taylor's POV*

"Taylor..." I woke up to a metallic taste in my mouth, but put it off as old whiskey and not brushing my teeth. "Taylor, please wake up."

I opened my eyes to find myself staring into David's.

"Seriously though, what the hell are you doing here!" David laughed, looking around at the room.

"Your Grandpa seriously thought garlic-scented air fresheners would help? anyways, I've come to take you home, they're all worried about you."

"I don't want to go back there." i said firmly, crossing my arms over myself. It was funny, vampires were the reason I left that house, the reason I didn't feel right there, but around David I felt safer, safer even than I did with Grandpa or Michael.

"Why not? Your whole family is there and-"

"they're not my family, David. they don't accept me, mom never has but...but michael and I used to be so close, now every word involves how much I've changed or turning me. Sam's scared to death of all of you, he just doesn't show it and I...well I'm scared too." I said, looking at the ground.

Ever since I was a little kid, I've hated admitting I was scared. I'd have nightmares and refuse to go get my mother, and wind up losing whole nights of sleep over it until Michael noticed. I guess that was one habit I haven't grown out of.

David sighed, putting an arm around me and leaning in close to my ear.

"Are you scared of me?"

"I...I don't know." I bit my lip and he placed a hand on the back of my neck, guiding my face so that our noses were touching, forehead to forehead.

"Taylor, you don't ever have to be scared of me. I'm going to protect you, none of those guys will _ever _touch you, understand?"

I nodded, letting it go with that. It was better that way, letting David and the rest of them think I was afraid they would hurt me when really, I knew none of them would lay a finger on me. Really, though, i was afraid they'd turn me without me knowing, worried they'd force me into becoming one of them...

But that's not something you tell the leader of a vampire clan.

"But why, David?"

He didn't answer, just leaned down more and connected out lips, pulling us together in a kiss.

"Goddamn, I thought this house was vamp-proof! Stupid ass frog brothers." We both turned towards the door, David practically shoving me behind him when he saw my Grandpa. "I'll give you five seconds to take your ass away from my granddaughter and out of this house. One..."

"it's okay! He's a friend."

Grandpa sighed, putting the gun down.

"Okay, both of you get the hell out of my house." I sighed, letting David lead me out the front door. As I walked past Grandpa, I gave him a peck on the cheek and an 'I love you,' and he mentioned for me to grab a root beer out of the fridge before i left. I took the car keys, though, and told David I'd follow him back in the car.

I saw grandpa watching me from the window anyways, and knew it made him feel better to watch me leave in his so-called vampire-proof car, instead of on the back of a motorcycle.


	23. Chapter 23

**Thank you all for your reviews, I love knowing that people are enjoying reading this story as much as I like writing it! in reply to Mrs. Ace Merrill, I haven't actually read your story yet, as i try not to read other stories from the same fandom as I'm currently writing in because I feel like it can mess with my perception and change some of the ideas I have for my own story! But as soon as I'm done writing this I'll have to take a look at your story, just from the title it seems really good! :) xx.**

**also, I know i made it seem like David's a bit of a softy in the last chapter, but I always pictured him as territorial and extremely overprotective, though not terribly romantic. **

**Anyways, off to the chapter! xx. **

* * *

*Taylor POV*

Finding a job was the easiest thing I had done since I moved here.

The day after I returned home, I skipped out in the daytime while everyone else was asleep, thankful for the car that grandpa gave me, and went searching for a hair salon.

There was one just outside of town, Santa Carla Style, and they took one look at me and gave me the job. I mean, my body was practically my resume, being as I had blonde hair with dark on the bottom that I had colored myself, and my makeup was not overly elaborate, but it was at least precise. i also feel like they don't get a lot of good applicants in Santa Carla, though.

I spent the day at the salon then, getting prepped for my first shift tomorrow morning, and it was dark outside when i started to return home.

"Be careful outside after dark, sweetie." Marla, one of the co-owners and my mentor for the day, a woman in her early thirties with two kids, said as I walked out. "Weird things happen around here at night."

I nodded, giving her a hug and a thank you before hurrying towards my car.

Going home was awkward, mainly because I hadn't seen anybody but David since my drunken stage, but to my surprise Sam and I were home alone once more.

"Where does everyone go?" I asked, laughing.

"Off to feed," Sam said with a shrug before returning to his comics.

Seeing him say things so nonchalantly like that made me sick to my stomach, but I knew I was getting to be the same way. Hospitals no longer gave me headaches to think about, and I could pass a person with a scraped knee on the sidewalk and not bat an eye at it. They were doing to me exactly what they did to Sam, exactly what I would resent them for-they were desensitizing me to pain, and pain was something I was always acutely aware of; I mean, why else be a vegetarian if not for the animals? Why kill something when you don't have to?

I left Sam lying on the couch and retreated to my room, flopping down on the bed and sleeping, really sleeping, for the first night in weeks.

Well, for maybe a half hour, because then there was a knock on my bedroom door.


	24. Chapter 24

I opened my door to Laddie, a shy grin on his face as he entered my room, plopping down on my bed.

"The other boys went out to feed," He said simply. "I stayed behind, I'm not hungry. Besides, I wanted to talk to you."

I smiled, sitting down beside him.

"I'm real sorry I scared you that first time, on the beach, Taylor." Laddie said and I gave him a smile.

"It's okay, Laddie." I held out my arms for him to give me a hug, showing he was forgiven.

He gave me a big grin, showing all of his pearly white teeth, before asking, "Taylor, will you take me down to the boardwalk?"

I sighed. I was dead tired, and starting work tomorrow...well, I guess that's what coffee's for.

"Sure thing," I said, hugging him once more. I stood up and he clung to my hand.

"No offense, Taylor, but is that what you're going to wear?"

I looked down and found that I was still in my pajamas. With a sigh, I made him stand outside my room while I changed into a white bandeau top and a long high-low multicolored skirt. I walked out of my room, Laddie connecting our hands and excitedly pulling him out of the house.

"Can we fly!" He begged, giving me those big puppy dog eyes, which just made me more confused.

"Taylor can't fly, Laddie." Said a voice, making me jump about three feet in the air.

"David!" I shrieked, turning around to face him. "Sam told me you all had gone out."

"The rest of the boys did, and I did too, but I, uh," he turned the lightest shade of pink. "I had a bad feeling about something, so I came back to find you."

I blushed, looking down as well, but this time I noticed something. Laddie was hiding behind my legs, looking like he was almost scared of something. I spun around, crouching down to get to his level.

"Is something wrong, Laddie?" He bit his lip, shaking his head at me. I looked him in the eyes one last time, but then let it go for now, standing up and facing David once more. "He wanted to go to the boardwalk."

"Laddie, why don't you go find Dwayne or Sam or Michael and see if one of them wants to-"

My eyes narrowed.

"I want to take him," I said firmly, taking Laddie's hand in mine. David looked shocked, but quickly hid it. "I'm fine, David, as you can see I have Laddie here to protect me." I threw the ten year old a playful smile. "You can go hang out with the other boys now, if you like."

"No, it's fine, I'll go with you all to the boardwalk."

"Good, I'll drive."


	25. Chapter 25

**so as I pointed out earlier, Taylor is a very compassionate person and she absolutely adores kids, whereas David...not so much. **

**The rides featured in this chapter are both based off real things. The ride David compares to a ferris wheel is called The Zipper, and it's in ocean city. The second ride is called Pirate's Revenge and it's in six flags! Look them up on Youtube if you want a better idea:) **

**Thanks for reading! xx. **

* * *

*David POV*

As previously mentioned, I had gotten used to Laddie. I couldn't hate him quite as much as I did every other kid, not when he had my blood in his veins, and i had gotten used to him hanging around Dwayne and Marko in the background. He never did bug me much, and I was grateful he had enough instinct to know better.

When he saw Taylor, though, he clung to her like she was his mother, holding her hand and begging her to do things with him. The first night, it was cute, but slowly i could tell it was going to get annoying, at least to me.

Laddie was walking around the boardwalk like he'd never seen it before, despite the fact that we'd been here practically every night with him. Still, Taylor brought him cotton candy and agreed to go on rides with him.

"i want to go on...That one next!" Laddie said, this time pointing at some sort of Ferris Wheel that was a cage instead of a seat, and you went all the way around in circles. i rolled my eyes.

"Ooh, Laddie, I don't know if you're tall enough for that one..." Taylor said, giving me a questioning look. We walked over towards the ride, where the man operating was not paying attention _at all. _

"He can't exactly get hurt anyways, now can he?" I told her, and she sighed, preparing to sneak Laddie onto the ride.

I stood on the ground waiting for them to get on. The rides here were all two people per cart anyways, and even then none of them thrilled me anymore. I was surprised Laddie enjoyed them as much as he did, to be honest, because they were nothing compared to flying and riding with me and the boys.

My heart nearly stopped though as I watched Taylor and Laddie get on the ride, and all my senses were tuned up. i could hear every creak the ride made, the rattle of every bolt and spring...

What if something happened to Taylor, to Laddie? I'd never forgive myself. I knew I should have never let them ride this stuff, it's all about to fall apart anyways. I bit my lip, feeling more nervous than I had in my entire life, and then...

Wait, was I actually worrying about someone, caring about them? I didn't know if I was in love with Taylor, I just wanted to kiss her back at her Grandpa's house, that was all, and she seemed to let it go just fine anyways. i couldn't date someone like taylor, we were just too different, and it was plain to see. Her dark tan skin and sun-streaked hair was made for daytime, whereas I could barely stand florescent lighting some nights.

There was one final screeching noise and I was about to march my way up to the operator and demand Taylor and Laddie be let out, but then I saw them getting out, Laddie laughing and Taylor...Taylor looking not so good.

She smiled at Laddie, allowing him to take her hand and lead her to me. When she saw me, she practically fell into my arms.

"You okay?" i asked her, keeping a firm grip on her. Both hands were pressed against my chest, steadying herself, while I held her at an arms' length, checking for any visible damage, and Laddie clung to her leg, being unable to reach any of her hands.

"Yeah, fine; I'm just a little worn out. Did you have fun, Laddie?"

"It was the best ride!" He screamed, obviously excited, and Taylor gave a weak smile.

"C'mon," i told her, wrapping an arm around her. "Let's get you home."

"But-" Laddie objected, his eyes glancing towards another ride. Taylor looked at him, and then back towards me.

"Laddie," I told him, a warning in my voice.

"But David, we still have tickets left and I'll be fine!"

"You're not riding that, Taylor." I said, looking at the pirate ship flip upside down.

"Then you go on it with him, David."

I sighed, about to object before I looked in her eyes and saw the desperation in them. God, would I ever be able to say no to those eyes?

I grabbed Laddie's hand, not gently like Taylor had, but forcefully, and pulled her over to a bench.

"Sit here, We'll be off in a little while."


	26. Chapter 26

*David's POV*

"You like her," Laddie said, giving me a stupid grin as we boarded the pirate ship.

"No, i don't." I said, looking over at Taylor, sitting on a bench and waving to us enthusiastically, even though it was obvious she was still spinning. "When'd you get so brave with me, anyways kid? I can still beat you up, you know that?"

I teased him, even though I had a point. Laddie had always been scared of me, maybe because I'd always been so indifferent to him, but lately he had been braver.

"You wouldn't hurt me in front of Taylor. You like her," He teased once more, letting out a small scream as the ride started to get more vertical.

"I don't like her, Laddie."

"Sure you don't."

But then all conversation stopped, as Laddie obviously started to get _really _scared.

"David." He said, swallowing hard. "What would happen if I fell from here?"

"You're not going to fall, Laddie." I rolled my eyes, this kid was really starting to get on my nerves.

"But if I did..."

"I'd catch you."


	27. Chapter 27

*Taylor POV*

"How was it you guys?" I asked the boys once they got off the ran over to me, grasping my hand tightly while David snaked an arm around my waist discretely.  
"It was awesome!" Laddie smiled.  
"How about you, Taylor, you feeling better?" David asked, looking me straight in the eye.  
"Much better," I lied, and despite how good I had gotten at lying I could tell David saw right through it.  
"C'mon, laddie, lets get Taylor home and in bed."  
David led the way to the car. Laddie was obviously drained of energy after the last ride, and crawled up into my arms.  
"Let me take him," David said, but laddie held right to my shirt.  
"I want Taylor." He said sleepily.  
"Aw c'mon laddie," David said. "I'm not that mean."  
"Yes you are." He yawned, making me laugh.  
"It's fine, David, really. He's not heavy at all."  
"At least let me drive home then?"  
I sighed, tossing him the keys.  
"My baby is not a motorcycle." I warned him.


	28. Chapter 28

**For the cop, imagine Brad Pitt's character in ****_Thelma and Louise_****, J.D. **

* * *

*Taylor POV*

I woke up in a completely dark room, laddie tucked into my arms.  
I cursed lightly, trying not to wake him up, and checked the clock beside my bed.  
Eight-fifteen; I could still make it to work in time. Careful not to wake the sleeping boy, I got dressed in the dark, figuring I'd apply my makeup in the car ride there.  
It was funny, I didn't remember the car ride home last night, but there wasn't a scratch on my baby.  
I hopped in quickly, gunning it down the driveway and hoping to make it to work on time.  
Looking at myself in the rear view mirror, it was worse than I thought.  
I got stopped at a red light and took the minute to Pull my hair back into a pretty French braid, beginning to apply concealer as the light turned green.  
"Dammit," I cursed, taking the left turn sharply.

I made it to work in record time, arriving around eight-thirty and I didn't even have to be in there until nine. It was only after I had pulled quickly into a parking spot that I noticed the flashing red and blue lights pulling up beside me.

"Shit," I said, quickly brushing on the rest of my mascara and adjusting my clothes to show off a bit more. The officer knocked on my window, and I sucked in a deep breath, rolling down my window.

Huh, at least he was hot.

"Is there a problem, officer?" I batted my big eyes Marilyn Monroe style.

"Well," He pulled out a ticket book. "You violated about every single law in the book here, ma'am, but i'm considering on letting it slide...if you agree to dinner tonight?"

I smiled, batting my eyes again.

"Yes, that's perfect. Thank you so much." I said, obviously relieved. "My name's Taylor Emerson, think you can put that fancy police system of yours to use?"

"Will do, Miss Emerson. I'll pick you up around eight, then?"

"Of course. And, if you can't find an address, you know where I am." I gestured towards the salon.

The man tipped his cowboy hat and made his way back to the police car.

Damn, he had a cute butt. Why did he have to be a cowboy, though? Like this was California, I was thinking those would be more towards Texas...? Either way, at least I don't have to get a ticket.

I climbed out of the car ten minutes before nine, making my way into the salon. Today had already proved it was going to be interesting.


	29. Chapter 29

*David POV*

Taylor came home quickly after dark, running upstairs in a flash of music and giggles and shopping bags. Michael just looked at her, shaking his head.

"She's got plans tonight," he said nonchalantly as the phone started to ring.

"Will you get that, boys? Max and I are..._busy._"

"Ew," Sam said, and none of the boys moved from their spot on the couch.

"Can one of you get that, it's probably for me!" Taylor said, appearing at the top of the stairs with wet hair, only in a towel before rushing back into her room.

I sighed, walking into the kitchen to answer the phone. Dwayne and Laddie shared a little giggle, and i'm sure they would have whispered a not-so quiet 'whipped' if the rest of the boys had any idea about how I felt towards Taylor.

"Hello?" I said, sighing dramatically.

"Hi, is Taylor there? Can you tell her there's been a change of plans, and I'll be running maybe a half hour late?"

I ground my teeth together, biting back a snarl.

"I sure will, can I give her a name."

"Just tell her I'll be a half hour late," you could hear the smile in his voice. "She'll know who it's from."


	30. Chapter 30

*taylor POV*

I sighed again, checking my phone for the time once more. It was eight-fifteen, and I was starting to think the cop from earlier was standing me up. Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled to get out of the ticket thing, but still I didn't like being stood up, even if I should have said no to a date in the first place.

"What's wrong, Taylor?" Michael asked, coming to sit beside me. It was only eight o'clock, and apparently still too early for them to raise any hell.

"I thought I had a date tonight. Guess I got stood up." I said, trying to laugh it off but you could tell just by my body language I was disappointed.

There was a collective moment of silence before Laddie climbed into my lap, wrapping his arms around my neck.

"But Taylor, I thought you liked Da-"

"Laddie!" David said, causing me to laugh.

"I do like David, Laddie, but we're just friends." I said, and the boy gave me a confused look before nodding fiercely, as if trying to prove he understood. I giggled at how cute he was, giving him an Eskimo kiss as the doorbell rang.

Immediately I hopped up, placing Laddie on the ground and rushing to the door.

"Well there you are," I said, putting a pretty smile on my face. "I was beginning to think your GPS had given up on you after all."

He smiled, handing me flowers as I led him to the kitchen, where all the boys were waiting, harsh looks donning their beautiful faces.

"Sorry I was so late, there was a case I had to wrap up."

"it's fine," I told him.

"You boys look familiar," He said, turning to Michael and the boys. "Sometimes I patrol the boardwalk at nights, maybe I've seen you around?"

"Officer Harlem ring a bell, guys?" I asked curiously, placing my arm around his neck and playing with his hair.

David's eyes grew hard, and I knew I had struck a cord. The whole gang was glaring at him, fury in their eyes, Laddie included.

"No, not really." Sam said quickly, saving the moment.

"Anyways, we should get going." I said, taking the officer's hand and leading him back out of the house. "I'll see you when I get back, boys."


	31. Chapter 31

*Taylor's POV*

Harlem had gotten a little drunk, dropping me off around eleven. I let him get to second base, even, just because I liked the guy and hey, maybe I'd get pulled over less this way?

I watched him pull away, and then checked for motorcycles before I went inside the house. Just my luck, it seemed the whole place would be empty.

I went to the front door, but it was locked. With a sigh, I hiked up my maxidress and walked around to the kitchen window-the one above the sink was open earlier.

I weaseled my way through the window, opened as far as it would go, and clung to the sink, pulling myself through.

"Fuck!" I shouted, landing on the floor with a thud.

"Taylor, I wonder where your head has been lately. First the officer, now this?" My mother's voice said from beside me.

"You were here the whole time, and you couldn't have opened the front door? At least pulled me in or something?"


	32. Chapter 32

*Taylor POV*

"Mom, what are you talking about?" I said, standing up with a groan and crossing to turn on the lights.

Mom was sitting at the kitchen table, looking as cruel and as young as I've ever seen her, drinking wine out of an elegant wine glass in a silk nightgown that, before max, we never could have even afforded to try on.

"I sent David and the rest of the boys to clean up your little 'mess.'"

"what mess?"

"That cop you brought home, Taylor! Don't you know, or are you that stupid? Laddie's still considered a missing child, and the boys are always causing trouble down at the boardwalk. Bringing an officer into the house isn't helping anything."

"And you think them eating Harlem is going to make it any better?"

she gave me a harsh look, taking a long sip from her wine glass.

"You shouldn't have agreed to go out with him, Taylor. You know how David feels about you."

"Maybe I don't want David, mother! Did you ever think of that?" i told her calmly, hoping David wasn't listening into this conversation.

I didn't know what I wanted from him, I didn't know if I loved him or hated him or just found him attractive. I didn't know if i wanted him to make love to me or fight with me. The only thing I knew for sure was that i couldn't become a vampire, i couldn't live like they did. Falling in love with David would be admitting defeat, and so I told my mother I didn't love him no matter how much of a lie that could be.

Mom stood up, slamming the glass down on the table with such a force that it shattered and ran over to me at record speed, cornering me against the counter.

"Don't you ever think about anything but yourself! What about David, what about what makes him happy, huh?" I bit my lip, cowering back from her, and in the blink of an eye she had disappeared.

I sighed, gathering a paper bag and preparing to clean up the glass on the floor and table.

I heard the boys arrive home, but chose not to awknowledge it, hoping they wouldn't search me out. I must look terrible, makeup running down my face from crying and my dress dirty around the ends from climbing in the window...

i heard footsteps behind me.

"Don't bring Laddie in here," I warned. "There's glass on the-"

_ouch, _I gasped.

Looking down at my hand there was a thin cut down the side, a long shard of glass sticking out from it.

Great, I was bleeding in front of a bunch of vampires-could this day have gone any worse?


	33. Chapter 33

**Special thanks to Mrs. Ace Merrill for the idea! I know you want some fluffy scenes, and trust me, they're coming up! xx. **

* * *

*Taylor's POV*

They say before you die, your whole life flashes before your eyes-but that's not what really happened.

I crouched there dumbly, staring at the blood pooling around the thin red line, and wondered if this was really it as Laddie's face, the face of an innocent child, turned into something from my worst nightmares.

The rest was a blur as Dwayne and Michael reached for Laddie, and he escaped their grasp and ran towards me. Michael caught his foot and held him tight. At some point in that moment, David had appeared behind me, but I was too focused on Laddie's morphing face to remember exactly when. He held me tight in his arms, giving the other boys looks.

My breathing was heavy and uneven, and I could see David hoovering above me, a concerned look on his face.

"Michael," My mother's voice said from the doorway, a new wine glass in her hand this time, filled to the brim with something I no longer thought was wine. "Take the boys outside and have them handle Laddie. David, take Taylor upstairs and get her cleaned up before she drips blood all over my new floors."

Even Michael cowered away from my mother. Something about her demeanor in the past few months had changed, she'd become cold and distant, something even Michael and Sam feared. The only one who stood up to her was David, and that was only sometimes. for the most part, it seemed like Mom got what she wanted-but if she wanted me as a vampire, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

David gave her an ugly look, to which she turned up her head and walked out of the room. Before I knew it, I was being carried bridal style towards the kitchen sink, and David was fishing out bandages, apparently knowing this house better than I did.

"I'm sorry, Taylor." he said, biting his lip nervously as he wrapped my hand, avoiding my eyes. "Laddie, he's just a kid, you know? He sees blood, he thinks dinner."

"does it bother you, David?" I asked, avoiding his gaze as well and instead focusing on the wall behind him.

"Does what-The blood?" He sighed, cupping my face and forcing me to look into his eyes. "No, Taylor, it doesn't bother me at all." He pressed our foreheads together, both of them cold and clammy-mine from blood loss and his from fear and movement, and connected our lips. He even tasted like blood, though I could tell it wasn't mine. "I want to protect you, to make you one of us, not eat you for dinner."

Silently, I hopped off of the counter, placing a hand on David's arm to steady myself.

"I can't be one of you, David." I said, making his eyes fall to the ground.

"It hurts me when you say that, you know. Like, if you think what I am is so bad, so inhuman and horrible, then how could you love me?"

Tiny, silent tears fell down my face, and I turned away so I didn't have to face him.

"I don't know," i said quietly. "But I think I do-love you, I mean."

That was all it took, and with the force of all his inhuman strength he spun me around to face him, molding our mouths together as they moved in sync, and our tongues did a sort of tango.

"jump," he whispered huskily, and I did as I was told, wrapping my legs around his waist as he placed both hands under my butt, finding our way in the darkness up the stairs and to my bedroom.


	34. Chapter 34

*David's POV*

I rolled over, sensing someone outside Taylor's door. I didn't want to move, she was fast asleep, tucked closely into my arms and her soft breaths were tickling my chest. She was dressed in her underwear and my black tshirt from before, it fit her loosely and I loved how small it made her look as we sat there in our post-sex euphoria, her wasting most of it in sleep.

It was a Hallmark moment, and even though I didn't exactly do Hallmark moments, for Taylor I would. Still, I stood up, wrapping her blankets tighter around her as I walked into the hall.

"Is it done, David?" Michael asked, running his hands through his hair. You could tell his mother sent him to ask me; even though she thought she was in charge, it was obvious she still feared me on occasion, and Taylor was one thing she wouldn't cross me on. "Is she one of us?"

"I won't force her into this, Michael, you know that."

Michael's eyes grew wide and I was pulled away from him by Lucy, who was grabbing my wrist with a strength even I didn't have.

"Something's coming, David." She said simply. "Something's coming for us and it's going to go for our weak spot, which at the moment is Taylor. She has no interest in this lifestyle, she doesn't want to be here half the time. If you love her," She jabbed her finger into my chest. "You'll take care of her, and the only way to do that is to turn her."

"No it's not." A little voice said from behind me-Laddie. I hopped he hadn't scared Taylor too terribly bad, but at least he seemed upset over it. "You could protect her, David, like those knights do to princesses in stories. Like you did today, when i was going to, going to...you know."

"Laddie!" Dwayne called from downstairs, and I nodded my thanks to the kid as he walked off, acting as if nothing had happened between us.

"He's wrong, you know." Lucy said. "You can't protect her, I don't think anyone can anymore."

Then she disappeared, swooping off in that way she had of hers. Quickly, I returned to Taylor's room, but paused when I saw the light on. I stood outside her doorway, not sensing any danger, and listened.

"I'm sorry i tried to hurt you, Taylor. I love you, I really do, I was just...hungry, I guess."

That was Laddie's voice, his little heartbroken child's speech.

"It's okay, Laddie. We all do that sometimes. You didn't scare me, I promise. Are you all better now?" There was a pause where he probably nodded. "Then do you want to sleep with me tonight?"

You could hear the movement of the bed springs and I entered the room, seeing the two of them cuddled up together under the sheets, Laddie tucked under Taylor's chin, listening to her heartbeat.

"Can I join the party?" I said, and she looked up, giving me a grin. Laddie was already fast asleep as I climbed in beside them, pulling Taylor back up against my chest.

"...That looks really nice, actually."

"Can we-"

"I swear to god, David, you hurt my sister and I'll-"

"Would you all get out, please?" Taylor said, her voice laced with laughter as the door opened once more, and then shut a few seconds later.

"Alone at last," I said, kissing the top of her head.


	35. Chapter 35

I woke up alone; David and the rest of the boys must have returned to wherever they go during the day before dawn. i quickly dressed in light wash skinny jeans and a dark short sleeved shirt, adding a light pink and blue scarf and nude heels before grabbing my purse off the dresser and heading for the door, hoping I wouldn't have to speed to get to work this time around, as the hot cop wouldn't be there to bail me out.

Heading for the door, I was practically tackled by Sam, and, being in huge heels, I quickly toppled to the floor.

my little brother, now bigger than me, had tears streaming down his face, his eyes full of fear.

"I'm scared, Taylor." He said, and I sat up, pulling him into my arms. He may be about six feet tall, but he was still my baby brother. "I'm scared of mom and what she's talking about, I'm scared of the boys and the way they look at me sometimes. I'm afraid Laddie's going to lose it on me, like he did on you last night-"

"Sam," I said quietly. "You weren't supposed to see that."

"You always say that I'm your little brother, and your job is to protect me?" i nodded. "Please don't let them hurt me, Taylor. Or you either. You're all that I have left. When they, when they become a vampire they...they _change, _Taylor. Michael's not the same anymore, and the rest of them are just so hard looking. And mom too! Sure she wasn't all that nice to you, you were always dad's favorite, but now she's plain cold. Always talking about you causing trouble around here and stuff. Taylor, i don't want to be them."

I hugged him close, and he dug his face into my neck, his wet tears staining the skin.

"It's okay, Sam. I'll fix it somehow."


	36. Chapter 36

*Taylor POV*

I thought about what Sam said all day at work, questioning if I should just turn in my resignation papers to the salon now, say there was a family emergency or something. I toyed with who I loved more, my whole family, David and Laddie included, or Sam. But what it really boiled down to, was who needed me more-and the answer to that was Sam.

Work that day was a blur, and i found myself walking to my car in the dark before it felt like I had blinked. Mom didn't love me anyways, and michael...I didn't know who Michael was anymore. So I went home and tucked myself into bed, trying to pretend like nothing was wrong when I hurried past the boys, brushing it off like I was tired or hungry or something, and not even Laddie moved to follow me upstairs.

Sam was my baby brother, no matter how old or big he was, and if he needed me to do something like this, then I would because that's what families do for each other.

That night I slept with Sam in his room so none of the boys would bug me, and come next sundown we'd be long gone, and they couldn't do anything about it.

As Sam snored beside me, I thought about leaving a note or something for David and Laddie, but decided it would be too much, too painful. It was better I left without an explanation, better they get on with their lives without Sam and I-we'd made it obvious we couldn't be a part of it.

So, if you ever find your self wondering can a vegetarian be a vampire? The answer is no.

* * *

**Little cliff hanger here! I rewatched the movie last time and paid a bit more attention to Sam and Michael's characters, and decided that 1. Michael seemed to change majorly in personality when he became a vampire. He got crankier and more aloof, spending more and more time away from his family. And 2. Sam was 100% opposed to vampires, so him suddenly accepting it because his whole family was one didn't make enough sense. Of course, I'm the oldest child and if any of my younger siblings requested this of me, it's likely I'd say yes. But don't worry, David and the rest of the lost boys will come back into the story quickly! :) Thanks for reading xx. **


	37. Chapter 37

**"I'm gonna make damn sure that you can't ever leave." -Makedamnsure, Taking Back Sunday**

* * *

*Taylor POV*

"Sam," I said, shaking him awake gently as the afternoon sun shone in my face. We'd both been up half the night contimplating the idea of leaving, so it was only natural that we slept as late as we did. When I checked the clock it was noon, which made me just a little worried that we wouldn't get very far before nightfall, before they discovered we were gone. "Sam, you gotta get up and pack, quick. It's already noon."

He rose from bed quickly, and I left for my own room to begin packing. I didn't take much except clothes and a few things that I would miss. A lot of what was in that room my mom had brought for me, and not much was mine. Sam had a suitcase and a big duffel bag, and all of our stuff just barely fit in the car. We ate a quick meal and by then it was three o'clock, so we headed towards the east coast.

"You got that map in the glove compartment still, the one grandpa always used?" Sam asked, and I nodded.

"haven't cleaned the car out since I got it."

I sighed, I was really going to miss Grandpa; but it was safer for him this way, if he wasn't connected in any way with us leaving. Mom would go to him first, I'm sure, and question him. Sooner or later she'd discover he had nothing to do with it though, and he'd be off the hook with a new peace of mind, happy that Sam and I were out of harm's way.

i turned up the radio while Sam watched the map, directing us. I reached across the seat and took his hand, giving it a squeeze.

"You okay?" i asked, making him laugh.

"The question is, are _you _okay, Taylor? I mean, I've made you uproot your whole life for me just because I was scared, of all things! You loved David, you loved Laddie, and now...now I've made it so you're never going to see them again."

"I'll be okay, Sam. You're my brother, I love you, and you're right."

"I'm what?"

"You're right. If I stayed, if we stayed, we would have been forced into being a vampire. Now, now we're free to make our own choices, to decide what we want in life."

"...you've never said I've been right before."

"yeah, well," I slapped his arm lightly. "You've never _been _right before. But really though, Sam, it was a bad situation, and you woke me up, got me out of it. Thank you for that."


	38. Chapter 38

*Taylor's POV*

By nightfall we had arrived in Bakersfield, California.

"Run inside and grab some food, Sam." I said, passing him two twenties. "I'm going to get us some gas."

He nodded, running inside the Wawa while I searched the car for a gas tank. Suddenly, I felt a hand grab my wrist.

I jumped about three feet in the air, almost spraying the guy with the gas hose, and turned around to find myself face to face with Sam.

"Sorry I scared you," he said, handing me back one twenty and holding up two grocery bags. "I got you your Arizona tea."

"Best brother everrrr!" I said obnoxiously, beginning to pump the gas. "Now get in the car, we're heading off soon."

Sam was about to get in the car when I heard him gasp loudly.

"I thought I was the best brother ever, Taylor."

And this time I spun around to find myself staring at Michael's chest.


	39. Chapter 39

*Taylor's POV*

Somehow things became a blur, and Sam and I found ourselves tied up in the backseat of Grandpa's car, Michael driving us back to Santa Carla.

"Everyone's waiting for you guys, you know. Luckily, I overheard you two planning last night, and I figured you'd head East anyways, maybe try and go back to Phoenix."

"Why are you doing this, Michael? You're our brother, for god's sake." I shouted, looking over to see Sam glancing at Michael, fear obvious in his eyes.

"That's right, Taylor, I'm your brother; we're a _family. _You want to know why I'm bringing you home? Because we're a family!" He shouted, both Sam and I shrunk back in our seats at the harshness of his voice.

"We're not a family, Michael!" Sam shouted. "Families aren't torn, families aren't divided-"

"Families aren't scared of each other!"

You could physically see Michael soften.

"You're...you're scared of me, Taylor?"

"Yeah, yeah I am! I don't know you anymore, I don't know mom anymore, and I don't know what the hell is going on in that house! i'm scared, for christs' sakes, it's like living with Jeffrey Dahmer!"

"So you don't want to be vampires then?" Michael asked, looking nervous as he bit his lip.

"No, no we don't!" Sam shouted, sounding dilerious.

"I'm so, so sorry." We heard Michael mutter quietly.

"Michael..." I said cautiously.

"I won't let Mom or Max force you into anything, I promise. What happens...happens at your own choice, okay? But please, please come back with me and explain. They're all waiting for you, scared half to death-except for Mom, but she knew this was going to happen anyways. David and Laddie, Taylor, they're both scared to death. David was about to hop on his bike in the middle of the afternoon when he heard, and it took both Paul and Dwayne to hold him back. Laddie was in tears, he thought you had left because he scared you the other night, when you cut your hand. Just make things right with them, and then you can leave if that's what you really want."

Sam sighed, looking at me.

"We don't really want to leave, Michael-Taylor didn't want to go at all."

"Sam..." I said.

"No, it's fine, I'll admit to it. I was the one who was scared, Mikey. I was the one who begged her to get me out of here, the one who doesn't want this life. I couldn't get out on my own, so I asked Taylor to get me out of here...She was just being a good big sister, Mike."

"Well, I'm sure David will be happy to hear that, Sam." He said, gritting his teeth.

"Now can you untie us, you dipshit? I mean really? Who ties up their younger siblings anyways?"


	40. Chapter 40

**I'd just like to say sorry for the delay on this chapter. My friends dragged me up for a surprise weekend in Maine and it was actually so horrible, there was no internet and hardly any cell reception or anything :( And on top of that I made the mistake of watching the new Evil Dead before we went! I spent the whole time sleeping with one eye open, which did actually give me a lot of time to write. So please, excuse any typos in this chapter, as it was written on my phone. **

**In the future I'll warn you if I'm not going to update for a while, but this was a surprise trip. School starts tomorrow, so updates should still be coming, but they'll have to be between schoolwork and such. xx.**

* * *

*David POV*

"She's home," Michael yelled, and my heart jumped into my throat as I tried to keep my cool, watching as Michael brought Sam and Taylor into the house, a tight grip on their biceps as if they would try to run again.

"Thank god!" Max said, a sigh of relief coming through his lips as he hugged his new 'family members.' Lucy stayed put at her spot at the top of the stairs, giving Taylor a small smirk.

"I knew you were a coward, Taylor." She said. "I knew you'd run."

"Shut up, mom!" Sam said, acting like he was going to lunge at her, had Michael and Taylor not held him back. Michael and his sister may differ on a lot of things, but if there was one thing they could both agree on, it had to be Sam.

"Now now, Lucy, calm down a bit why don't you?" Max said, appearing at Lucy's side in moments, putting a hand on her shoulder. "And why don't we tell them about our plans."

"No," I said bravely, stepping in front of Sam and Taylor. "You're not changing either of them, not if they don't want it."

Lucy laughed at me, and I took a step closer to Taylor. Sam was still her son, she still had love for him, even if it was the tiniest bit. But Taylor, despite being Lucy's only daughter, would always be the target of Lucy's games.

"Oh boys, don't you get it?" Lucy laughed. "Or Taylor, you always were my 'honor roll baby,' do you understand what's happening?"

Taylor's eyes grew wide, even she was confused by how her mother was talking.

"You've found it easier to sleep through the day than through the night, you're talking about running off because you hate what you are, but you are who we are, Taylor. I put blood in your glass that night at dinner." Lucy flew to her daughter's side, cupping her face before I could react and guard Taylor. "I knew when I told you to come to Phoenix that you'd never want to be one of us, i had it all planned out already. And, if you're one of us," her affections turned to Sam. "Then Sam has no one to turn to, and he'll grow weak. He might resist at first, maybe even run away, finish what you started, but if his family's a vampire, then he'll be one too, eventually."

With a shriek Taylor lunged at her mother, but her mother was a full vampire, and was about a million times faster and stronger than Taylor, and she flew out of her grasp at the last minute.

"You people make me sick," She said quietly, grabbing her purse and heading for the door.

The room eventually calmed down, Michael going to confront his mother, while Laddie and the rest of the boys headed back to the cave, and Sam turned to me.

"I have to go after her," I said, sighing. but instead of moving, I sat down on the coffee table. "She hates me, Sam. She hates what i am, she's scared of me. How do you love someone that stands for everything you hate, how do you even love a monster?"

"There's something I need to tell you, David." Sam said, looking down at me nervously. "Look, Taylor didn't want to leave, she went because I asked her to. I was scared, scared for her and for myself, really, and mom just wasn't herself anymore. She loves you, David, and she wouldn't have left you if I hadn't made her."

I nodded, understanding. Sam was her little brother, she'd do anything she could to help him feel safe, just like Dwayne and Paul tried to do for Laddie.

"She's one of you now, David, and it's your turn to protect her." Sam said, getting up and leaving me alone with my thoughts. Quickly, I got up, heading out to find Taylor.


	41. Chapter 41

**Black Zora: You were right sort of about the blood thing, except David didn't give it to her. As stated in the last chapter, her mom snuck it into her wine glass at the family dinner. Also, thanks for the idea about Taylor killing only bad people! **

**Thanks to anyone else who reviewed, I love reading reviews and please enjoy the story! xx.**

* * *

**"Been tryin' hard not to get into trouble but I've got a war in my mind." -Ride, Lana Del Rey**

* * *

*Taylor's POV*

I headed out to party, to find something to numb the pain of realizing what I was. But, looking down at my dark jeans and tank top, I wasn't exactly dressed for a beach bonfire.

I had never felt more betrayed in my life, not when Michael threatened to tell the truth about Dad and me, not when mom and Michael kept the vampire thing from me, not when Sam had asked me to leave this life and start a new one with him. Everything was crumbling around me-I was the exact thing I hated. I was a monster, like in those horror movies I loved, but this wasn't a movie and I'd get no ending. I wouldn't have a curtain call or a roll credits, I would get blackness, a blackness that would last me forever. Mom had sold my soul away, and I hadn't even noticed it was gone.

Suddenly, though, there was a man in front of me, a cute boy who looked like john had-clean cut and sweet.

"Are you alright, miss?" He asked, and the closer he got to me the more I saw.

I wasn't looking at a man anymore, I was looking at some skeleton, a skeleton covered in blood and the 'thump thump' of a deliciously good pulse. The man was coming closer and closer to me, and with this new knowledge of what I was, of how to kill, I didn't know if I could stop myself or if there'd be an abandoned body right here on the crowded beach.

"I'm fine, just had a fight with my mom, that's all." I said simply before heading off in a direction where the street lamps didn't shine.

The man didn't follow me, thankfully, and i walked along under the docks, hungry for something that wasn't sold in a takeout store. I hoped to wander across a grifter or a robber, somebody I could kill without guilt hitting me. If I only killed the bad people, maybe I could feel better about this whole vampire thing.

Suddenly, I tripped over a log.

"Hey!" The log shouted, standing up quickly.

He obviously didn't have a place to stay, and was covered in dirt and grime and...and blood. Uncontrollably, I leaned down, biting his neck and ripping off the flesh there.


	42. Chapter 42

Taylor's pov

Four Years Later

Let me tell you, it's a weird thing, not to age.

I left Santa Carla that night four years ago, and I've regretted it ever since. Not the leaving part, actually-that house was toxic, just like my mother is sometimes. If I stayed there any longer, I wouldn't just be a monster on the outside, I'd be one on the inside too. But I regretted other things, like not taking Sam with me or not leaving a note. I regretted not telling David I was in love with him when I had the chance, that I didn't force Laddie to believe that my leaving wasn't his fault.

I regret being a vampire most of all, though, because while everything around me changes, i never do. I'll be frozen at eighteen forever, and I can dye my hair as many colors as I want without it falling out or pierce myself with holes that will never grow closed.

I work as a go go dancer, which is like stripping but you don't take off all of your clothes-there's no nudity allowed at all. It's good work, the best I could find with my only nighttime hours requirements. It makes good money, and I've got a tiny apartment in Phoenix, smack-dab in the middle of the city. I guess my family could find me, really, if they looked hard enough. But this time, I was trusting them. I needed the space, I would come home when I was ready to.

And today, as it seemed, was that day.

I messed up during my last meal. He was a client who'd come in looking frazzled and unclean, and I mistook him for an artist or some nobody who wouldn't be missed. My mistake, however, because he was only trying not to be recognized and well, I ate the city mayor's son.

So i packed up my bags in the middle of the night and told the landlady some crazy excuse about a family emergency back in New York, and gave her a fake forwarding address.

I found myself in my new car (A very nice vintage mustang), bags packed and nowhere left to go but home.

I came to terms with being a monster, and now it was time to grow up.

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**I'm sorry for the huge delay on this chapter! School got really hectic and I'm having trouble keeping up with it despite the fact that I'm usually a straight-A student :P For future references, expect a chapter at least once a week, if not more! Thanks for reading loves! xx.**


	43. Chapter 43

David's POV

Taylor would never know it, but she broke my heart that day. I didn't care when she thought I was a monster, not when she left me the first time. That was all out of fear, but now she was running from something not even I could save her from-herself.

I forced her out of my head, ignored the boys when they brought her up and distanced myself from Laddie-everything about him only reminded me of her. Michael and Sam became more and more distant, and Michael eventually moved into the cave with us and the rest of the boys.

Sam was turned a few weeks ago, on his nineteenth birthday. To my surprise, the short fourteen year old now could pass for a football player, with defined muscles and that all-american boy face.

Today was one of the rare days, though, that Michael had gone home to see his family. The rest of the boys went with him, but I hadn't been back there since the night I promised Sam i would take care of Taylor. Obviously i did a real shitty job of that. Laddie didn't like going back to the house either, and Dwayne said when he did he'd creep away from everyone else and go nap in Taylor's old bed. But Laddie had woken up in an extremely good mood tonight, ranting about how today was going to be amazing, and agreed to go to Max's with everyone else. He begged me to come along, but as usual lately I blew him off and went to go feed.

God, she was everywhere. Even just walking the boardwalk I'd see her face in stranger's eyes, feel her thin skirts between my fingers and glimpse her hair turning a corner.

"She's gone," I whispered so quietly that not even a fellow vampire could hear it. Then, I picked out a brunette that looked lonely, and offered her a cigarette.


	44. Chapter 44

Taylor's POV

"Whew, you guys had no idea how long it took me to find that damn driveway!" I said, bursting into the house as if I had never left, hoping the surprise of seeing me would make them ignore my obvious nervousness.

There was a clatter of feet on the ground as everyone made their way to the front door and stood opposite me, staring, unsure.

Finally, Laddie ran over to me.

"Taylor!" He hugged me tightly. "I knew you'd come today. I had a dream about it, you know?"

I smiled at him, picking him up.

"What, no hugs from the rest of you?" There was a collective sigh as Mom walked away, Max following her. Suddenly, Marko started laughing.

"Dude, do you have any idea how much we could freak out David with this?" He said.

"David isn't here?" I said curiously; it was rare to find him alone.

Dwayne shook his head no, coming over to take Laddie from me.

"We should go freak him out then," I said, laughing evilly. I still felt bad for leaving like that, but I was never one to turn down an opportunity for a good prank. the boys nodded, walking past me.

Michael grabbed my arm as he did.

"Welcome back, little sis. I hope you've been doing okay."

"I'm fine, where's sam?"

"He's...uhm, out." Michael was obviously hiding something, so I gave him a look. "You'll see later, don't worry."


	45. Chapter 45

David's POV

"David,"

God, now I was hearing her voice.

It was coming from the dunes, my name, repeating itself over and over again.

_it's just your imagination. _I thought, but still i made my way toward the sound.

"Boo," Came a familiar voice from behind me, and I found myself face to face with Taylor.

She had changed a lot, something I thought vampires couldn't do, really. Instead of her usually light jeans and hollister shirt, she was in high waisted shorts and a crop top, tied intricately in the back. Her once platnum and black colored hair was traded for a beachy blonde. Even her face seemed to have changed, despite that being, you know, physically impossible. her eyes were wider, more alive than ever, and her lips were a cherry color that I couldn't tell if it came from a lipstick tube or was natural. She was flawless, an eye catcher no matter where she went.

And she was standing right in front of me.

"Taylor," I said, forcing it to sound cold, aloof. "What are you doing here?"

I tried to be strong, to not be bothered by her sudden appearance into my life.

"I'm back, David. For good this time, I think."

"Well, that's not the first time she's said that and lied about it, now is it Taylor?"

That remark didn't come from me, though I wish I was clever enough to think it up. Instead, I found myself looking in the direction of the ocean, from which Sam had emerged.


	46. Chapter 46

**Thank you all for reading, and for all the great reviews! I'm sorry my updates have been so crazy, but my schedule is so packed right now! xx.**

**"She spoke of places I had never been that she had traveled to." - Classy Girls, The Lumineers**

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**Taylor's POV**

"Sam," I said quietly, choosing my words carefully.

"No, Taylor! You promised to watch me, promised to keep me with you and keep me safe! Now look at me, I'm exactly what I hated." Sam said, rushing at me like he was going to hurt me.

"Stop it, Sam." Michael said, stepping between us and holding Sam back. "Taylor has her reasons for doing what she did."

"Just like Star did, huh?" David said, and I turned to see him, a look of betrayal on my face. He softened when he knew I saw the meaning behind what he said.

I was just like Star, I left him, left everyone, without even a clue that I was going to leave. But still, bringing her up was a hit below the belt for Michael.

He winced, but was obviously not too put off by this.

"Yeah, just like Star." Michael said. "But Taylor's our blood, Sam, and we have to love her, to take care of her, whether she wants us to or not."

"I know I shouldn't have done what I did, but it had to be done. If I didn't leave then, I would have just left later on and hurt you all even more. I'm done, though, I've gotten my fill of running and sneaking around, of pretending to be something I'm not. So can I please, pretty please, come home?"

"You're already there, love." Dwayne said.


	47. Chapter 47

*taylor's pov*

We walked home from the beach quietly, the boys pushing their bikes beside me. Walking because we were unsure of what would come when we returned home. Would Mom be angry, would David forgive me? The future was incredibly uncertain at the moment, so instead of riding like lightening like the boys usually did, we walked as slow as molasses.

"What have you been up to, Taylor?" Laddie said, his eyes growing wide as he hopped into my arms.

"Well, I went back to Phoenix." I said, giving Sam a wink. "And I found that old comic book shop, the one that you said you would reopen someday, Sam? Well, someone beat you to it; it's pretty popular, if I do say so myself. Anyways, I got myself an apartment in the city, found a job, and settled in. It was really quiet, and that was nice; but it gets lonely after a while."

"Is that why you decided to come home?" Dwayne asked. Damn, the quiet one was breaking the silence a lot now that I was back. Maybe it was because he didn't travel much, but something about the world outside Santa Carla seemed to interest him.

"Most of it, yes." i said, deciding not to tell them about my little mistake, not to let them think I was crazy, or a bad vampire or something like that.

"Why'd you leave, then?" Sam blurted out.

"Because," I sighed. "Because I couldn't handle it. You know me, Sam, i don't like to be stuck. I like change, hell, I thrive in it. knowing that this was going to be my life forever, that you guys were all I had, that Santa Carla was all I'd ever get to see...well, I freaked out. But when i got away, I realized I wanted nothing more than to come back. You guys are my family, I get why Max said that now. You're the voices in my head, you're the face on the street corner that makes me do a double take; you're in my life whether I want you there or not. I can't just kick you out, because believe me, I've tried. So i guess...I guess that means I'm stuck with you." I laughed playfully. "All of you," I added, giving David a meaningful look.

He averted his eyes to the house approaching all too quickly.

Laddie started to squirm, and I let him down. He ran over to Dwayne and Sam, grabbing both their hands and pulling them to the field beside the house, mumbling something about fireflies; the rest of the crew followed, leaving David and I behind to talk.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, not quite knowing what to apologize for first.

David ran his fingers through his hair, a sigh escaping his lips as he lit a cigarette, blowing the smoke off into the distance before finally speaking, his tone hard and cold.

"I get it," He said. "The running away, the being scared of what you are, the secrets and the lies and the misunderstandings. Remember, taylor, I was the first one Max turned. I was alone for so, so long-and the only other of my kind was Max. I wasn't always this way, wasn't always cold, without feeling. But Max made me that way when he turned-I learned from him, Taylor. And when I met you...you brought this instinct out of me; this impending need to protect you, to love you. And goddammit, Taylor, I couldn't do that without pulling you into this, without hurting you. That's why I avoided it at first, why I avoided you. But I couldn't stop myself from loving you, so I tried to protect you instead-which is the exact thing you refuse to let me do."

"i don't need to be protected." I said, standing up straight despite the fact that, even with perfect posture I was only up to David's chin.

He smiled, cupping my chin. Feeling demeaned, I quickly turned my face to the side, out of his grasp. He scowled, but didn't rebuttal.

"Humans are fragile, Taylor. There were times that, if I hadn't been there, if Michael hadn't been there, something would have gone horribly wrong, and sometimes we're watching out for you without you even realizing it. When you left for Phoenix, you took that away from us. And even now, Taylor. There are people out there that want to hurt you, people who hunt things like us."

"I can take care of myself, David; I did for four years."

"But you're never going to have to again." I sighed, angry with the turn of the conversation, and spun to leave. In a flash, David grabbed me by my shoulders and spun me to face him, pulling me close. "You're not going to walk away from me again, understand?"

And there was the David that we all knew and loved, not the mushy, lovey one but the harsh and demanding David, the overprotective leader of his infamous gang of vampires.

"I'm not walking away from you." I smiled, grabbing his hands and taking them off my shoulders, then dropping them at his sides. "I'm home, this is where I belong. I get that now."


	48. Epilogue

*Sarah/Star's POV*

I hadn't planned for things to work out this way, they just did. An awkward twist of fate, a strange reluctant meeting after fifteen years of being apart. I took off to find solace, to find a way to hate David and Michael just a little bit more, and myself not so much. What I got was nothing, what I got was years of hiding from daylight in unpaid motel rooms and feeding off nomads who thought I would be a good lay.

I was regretting leaving Michael in the first place, but not enough to go back-not enough by any means to admit defeat and return to those boys.

I was in the process of hitchhiking from New York to Florida, and was stopped somewhere in the middle of Georgia, sitting on a bench outside of a gas station, having a smoke and looking for potential rides when I saw them.

Marko was the first one I recognized; though he had gone with the trends and had shorter hair, it was still curly. I watched him get off of his old bike and walk into the gas station, not even giving me a second glance.

I should have guessed he wouldn't have recognized me, not with hair cropped to my chin and makeup running down my face like a sad clown. He wouldn't recognize me without the shimmery skirts and the big earrings; he wouldn't even glance my way because Star was only a memory, and Sarah was a person, a person with short hair and too-big jeans. I was a person, a person he didn't know.

It wasn't long until the familiar hum of motorcycles was heard approaching, and the rest of the boys arrived.

Dwayne was the first one I recognized, and his hair was cropped to his chin now too, similar to mine. He was the only one of them to actually look at me, and i watched as the familiar tones of recognition flooded his face. I acknowledged him with a quiet nod, and he turned away, tending to his bike.

Paul's hair was still a shaggy blonde mess, but shorter now. There was another boy with them, a boy who I must have known sometime ago. He was a pretty, tall blonde who looked like some kind of clean cut male model-not the Lost Boys' usual picks, but whatever. And then I saw Michael.

His tanned skin and curly mop of hair hadn't changed one bit, he even had that same five o'clock shadow look going on as he did when I saw him for the last time fifteen years ago. He seemed happy, his chocolate eyes glowing in the night, and my thoughts couldn't hover on him long without my head hurting.

David came last, his motorcycle pulling in at the last second. He had a girl latched onto his back, some kind of replacement me, maybe, and Laddie was hooked on to her. As soon as they were all off the bike, Laddie launched himself into her arms like he never did with me, and she laughed. David looked at them and smiled, actually smiled.

In all my years with them, I had seen David smile twice-when he was killing, and when he was having sex.

His hair was a platinum blonde still, but the mullet had been left behind for a more practical look (A/N- Think Ace Merrill). Laddie was the only one that seemed to not have changed. He still wore his hair long and uncombed, and he still had the military jacket on, the one I found him in.

I remember finding him, cold and abandoned and sick on the streets; his parents had abused him, and he had run away from home. I brought him to David, begged him to help. I promised David I would care for the boy, take care of him like he was my own child, but I wasn't able to do that.

I sent a silent thank you to the girl that had taken my place, if only because she had been able to fill the shoes i left behind.

The group talked for a moment, quietly and quickly, and then followed Marko's path into the gas station shop. The girl was the last to enter, her pretty black hair flowing behind her. She had a striking resemblance to Michael-maybe she was the sister he always talked about.

But that seemed unlikely, and I shoved it off. David deserved her, he really did-she made him nice. But the question was, did she deserve David and all the coldness that came with him?

I heard a car pull up in front of me, and decided it was probably the only ride i'd get for the night. with one more glance into the gas station window, I stomped out my cigarette and stood, climbing into the car.

"What's your name?" The man asked, putting a hand on my knee as we left the gas station behind.

I touched my ear, the earring was still in, the one all the gang used to wear. The boy still had their's too, even the new girl had a charm similar to it dangling from her wrist.

"Sta-Sarah." I corrected myself quickly, leaning back and rolling my head to look out the window.

We must have been miles from the gas station by then, but I swear I could still hear the sound of motorcycles and laughter fading into the night.

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**I did the epilogue from Star's point of view because I always pictured her leaving Mike, but I never could quite decide what would happen to her after. And i mean, there can only be so many vampires in the world, so it's kind of inevitable that she would never run into David and Michael again, especially if, like in my story, they decided to travel and see more of the world, not just stay in Santa Carla forever. So I hope you enjoyed, and thank you to everyone who read it and reviewed! xx. **


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